Pokémon: Novel Joy
by TheRealWitch
Summary: If you are born a Joy, you are a Joy: a Nurse Joy. The children have no say in the matter, and they don't even know. One child doesn't want to be a Nurse Joy, though. How will she escape this life? How will she be free to be who she decides to be? Who will be there to help her when she's in trouble? The main character is an OC.
1. Chapter 1

This is the story of many: a loving mother, a sorry child, and a controlling society. Who am I in this story? I'm a kid who didn't know what happened to those that wanted to be different. My mother knew. She tried so hard to keep me on the path of a Nurse Joy, but she failed. It's my fault. It's all my fault. I'm sorry, Mother. I'm sorry, and I know you forgive me for what I've done to us.

My name is Novel Joy. I'm sure Mother meant to name me after a type of book to say I'd be smart, but my definition is different and by that I mean literally different. As a Joy I attend a special school that focuses more on medicine and less on battling; other schools do the reverse. Here I am, nine years old, and everyone tells Mother that I'll come around to being a Nurse Joy. Mother knows me better. She knows how the medicine bores me, she knows how I don't share the renowned 'Connection' to a service Pokémon like Wigglytuff or Audino, and she knows that I don't get along with the other kids at school. Everyone says that i'm 'antisocial' and forgets to mention how the others like to make fun of me for being different. _When are you gonna get a 'Connection,' Novel? Why don't you wanna practice on the ditto like us? Afraid you'll mess up?_ I'm not afraid of messing up; I'm afraid I'll be stuck on this path no matter what I do. I don't want to be a Joy. I want to do something else with my life, but I'll never know if I don't have the chance to try something different. Mother knows.

Mother sits me down to brush my corsola pink hair each night and tells me the stories of a boy named Ash. He was a trainer that went all over the region, where I stay here in my hometown. He caught many pokemon, where I'm not allowed to catch any. He made lots of friends on his journey, where I can't manage to make one. Mother tells me I have the spirit of an adventurer inside of me. She pulls my hair into two high pigtails. I wish I could choose my own hairstyle, but it's part of the dress code at school. Mother tells me that this is how adventurers wear their hair, and I let myself believe it's true.

We live in the Kalos region's mountain area. Mother tells me not to go into the mountains, and I obey her. I know she only wants to keep me safe. Besides, it's forbidden for us to go into the mountains without special permission. One day, a strange woman came to our town. She looked like one of us, but her facial expression was far too serious. She wanted to speak to Mother. I was the one to let her into the house; her and her Audino that looked strong enough to take down a Durant without a scratch. I tried to listen in, but Mother closed the door behind them as they entered her bedroom. I could only make out part of a sentence: " _If she won't… we'll take… be a Joy or…"_ That's all I could make out before the door swung open and the woman skulked out. Mother was worried about something, and that made me worried, too. I hadn't seen the woman again for a while, but Mother wore the worry on her face every day since the visit. I didn't dare to ask why she came.

I thought life would go back to normal eventually, but it began to feel… strained. I believed that the teachers finally gave up on me joining in; Mother encouraged me to participate, to study, to smile. She stopped telling me the stories of Ash the Pokémon Trainer. Mother tried to tell me stories of a woman instead, Nurse Joy, the original. She told these stories with a sense of urgency until I told her I didn't want to listen to stories anymore. Mother still smiled. I'd ask her if something was wrong, and she'd smile. I wish the smile had reached her eyes, but I began to believe it never would again.

Then, the end came. I knew it was the end when the strange woman returned. She showed up at my school, but was given no introduction. Everyone looked at her with admiration, envy, and determination; but all I saw were my mother's distressed eyes on the window, lost in thought. When I got home that day, I told Mother about the woman's visit. Mother's face dropped, but she hid it somewhat. I asked her why she was saddened about her return. " _You can be anything you want to be"_ Mother went into her room; she came back with something in her hands that I'd only seen a few times before. " _This is a Pokéball. Carry it with you from now on. It will protect you."_ She didn't say how it would protect me, but I believed her completely.

The woman was at school the next day as well. She was teaching about medicine. When I told Mother, she told me to start on my weekly chores. Mother went to my bedroom and prepared a bag for me while I swept in the kitchen. I found it by the window when I went to bed.

The strange woman stayed to teach more the rest of the week. On her final day, she taught about handling large patients that didn't want to be treated or were afraid of people. She had her Audino with her. Everyone went outside and a Mamoswine made of wood was constructed in an open area near the classroom. " _There are some situations in which you will be required to weaken your patients in order to treat them. In this circumstance, you may have to battle them. I will be showing you all some moves today that one common nurses' Pokémon, Audino, can learn."_ The woman had her Audino use various moves on the wooden Mamoswine. _Hyper Voice, Double-Edge, Take Down._ Each time the Pokémon reduced the wooden Mamoswine's size. The woman asked for volunteers to command their 'Connection' Pokémon to combat the wood. A few were willing, only a handful out of twenty-five. The teachers were proud, but I couldn't see why. Weren't we supposed to help, not harm? This woman… I still had a bad feeling when she was in sight.

Mother had me eat quickly once I'd gotten home. " _I need you to clean in your bedroom."_ She didn't say why. I kept looking over at the bag she packed for me a couple days before. Why did she pack it? I felt over my pocket where the Pokéball was hidden from view. Why did she give it to me? What Pokémon was inside? I wasn't going to ask or find out right now. Mother entered my room near the end of my cleaning with some clothing and told me to change. I was surprised by the clothes: mostly black, silver and crimson details. She told me to stay in my room; more specifically, in the closet. Take the bag she had packed in with me. I asked her why. " _If I yell for you to run, then go into the mountain and don't look back for a second. Do you understand? Be the adventurer you've always been at heart."_ A knock at the front door kept her from continuing. She told me she loved me and shut my door as she left the room.

I sat in silence. Complete and utter silence. Mother was speaking with the woman; I could hear the woman's voice clearly as my heartbeat quickened. " _If she isn't going to be a Nurse Joy, then she isn't going to be anything. We're taking her whether you like it or not. You have made a horrible mother and should have raised your child properly."_ I heard Mother fighting with the woman. " _You can't take my baby away from me! I won't let you!"_ I heard the sound of skin on skin. That woman hit Mother. I was both angered and afraid, but I managed to calm myself. Then, I heard footsteps. Loud and in charge, they stormed into the house. " _Run, Novel! Run!"_ I dashed out of the closet, opened the window in my bedroom, and ran to the mountains. I heard a scream as I reached a cave entrance. Footsteps as I hid behind a rock formation. Grunts as the footsteps gave up their search and I was alone.

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **Thanks for reading what I have written thus far. If someone reads this and has any suggestions or questions, please feel free to comment. I plan on setting the story in the Kalos region's mountain area at the moment, yet am not sure which town to have Novel visit first. I apologize for any heartache caused by the story and hope to continue soon. Thanks again.**_


	2. Chapter 2

They were gone. I didn't know when they'd be back, but I knew I had to go deeper into the cave or risk them finding me. There's not time to find out what's in my bag, not yet. I need to be further away from all I've ever known: the school, the people, Mother. I'm sorry, Mother. I pick up the bag and sling it onto my back as I descend into the rocky terrain.

It's dark in the cave, but I'm somehow still able to see shapes in the shadows. I've been walking for a while, but I can't stop yet. Maybe I'll come across a cave opening soon, but for now I'm here. Rocks. Dirt. Solid ground. I just keep walking and… is that a light up ahead? Is it moving? No. It's staying in place, i realize. I remain wary as I approach.

It's a boy and a Pokémon. I quickly duck behind some nearby rocks. What're they doing? The boy looks like he's playing in the dirt. Strange. I move closer. It seems the boy is actually looking in a pile of shiny gemstones. The stones are a dull purple. I've seen them before in one of my old schoolbooks: dusk stones. I didn't know they were so beautiful. The Pokémon suddenly turns to look in my direction and makes a sound. " _What is it Lampent?"_ The Pokémon, I guess it's a Lampent, moves slightly closer as I edge back. The boy puts down the dusk stones he's holding and tries to find me. He gets up and walks near the rocks. From here, I can see he's a few years older than I am. When he moves close enough to make out my shadow, I dash out from behind the rocks and quickly move deeper into the safe darkness. The boy calls after me, but I don't dare to glance back at him. I don't know if I can trust anyone right now.

I don't stop running until I collapse to the ground. I think I'm far enough away from the boy. I see another light nearby, but instead of a warm orange-yellow color it's a soft purple that reminds me of the dusk stones the boy was looking at. I catch my breath and inch my way over to it. I don't know what's making the light, but I think It'll be alright for now. I can see more and decide to see what is in my bag. I pull out a flashlight and a map first. I wish I'd known about those earlier. Next, I pull out some Pokéballs; one has a note attached to it. _Be an adventurer like Ash. You can catch Pokémon friends with these. I love you. - Mother._ I smile gently at the note and put it aside. I find a change of clothes, a hairbrush, and a few ponytail holders. I also found a pokédex. I'd learned how to use one at school. Then, I pull out some food. My stomach grumbles and I take a bite of a sitrus berry and a sip of moomoo milk. Mother always liked moomoo milk.

Suddenly, I notice that one of my berries is floating in mid-air. Berries don't fly, right? I reach out to grab the berry and it moves out of reach, floating behind a rock. I put my things back in my bag and walk over to where the berry flew to find that a Pokémon has already eaten half of it. I also realize that the light from earlier was coming from the berry thief: some kind of ghost Pokémon. It looks like a ball of purple gas with eyes, and somehow it's actually sort of cute. It disappears when it sees me, but I can still see the berry as it floats in the air again. " _You could have asked for the berry."_ It stops moving away. " _I might've even let you have two berries."_ The Pokémon reappears and comes slightly closer. " _Gas?"_ I pull another berry from my bag.. " _You can have another, but you have to stay and eat with me."_ I didn't want to be alone in this cave anymore, and this Pokémon reminded me of myself: careful, shy, quick to disappear. It seemed to agree. " _Gastly."_ I think we were both happy to have company. I pulled out my pokédex and scanned the Pokémon. _Gastly, the gas Pokémon. Born from gases, anyone would faint if engulfed by its gaseous body, which contains poison._

After we each had another berry, I smiled and gave a slight wave to the Gastly before walking further into the cave. A few moments later, the Gastly appeared in front of me. " _Gastly."_ I asked it if it was wanting to join me. It smiled at me and I found myself with my first friend. I think back to the Pokéball in my pocket. I hadn't seen Mother with a Pokémon, at least not that I remember. Could she have had a Pokémon friend that I didn't know? What kind of Pokémon could it be? I don't know, and I could find out right now if I wanted. No. I'll wait. If anything, I find comfort in the mystery; and the more I think about it, the more I am reminded of Mother. I miss you, Mother.

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **Let me ask you, the reader, what you think of Novel's first friend. I'd love to hear what you think.. Also, I'm sure you'd have wanted more added to the story. Don't worry, I'll add more soon. If anyone has any suggestions, don't hesitate to comment. Thanks for reading.**_


	3. Chapter 3

After a while, we settled down to get some rest. My feet ached. I used my extra shirt as a blanket and put my bag behind my head as a pillow. I don't know how long it took to fall asleep, but when I awoke I noticed a small sliver of light some distance away. I unintentionally woke my friend as I sat up in disbelief.

I put the shirt away and inched into the beam of light shining on the floor. It felt warm on my skin. " _I guess this is it, huh? The exit to this cave?"_ Gastly looked a bit… solemn. " _Did you… um."_ I was a bit nervous. " _Did you want to come with me?"_ Gastly flew at me happily knocking me down. My bag fell to the ground and a pokéball rolled onto the dirt floor, sunlight making it gleam. We looked over to the pokéball in sync. Gastly floated beside the round object for a moment; I wondered what she was thinking. Then, she nudged the pokéball. A red beam shot out and absorbed my friend. I watched as the device shook once, twice, then stopped. I picked it up, held it out, and smiled as she came back out. My first friend was now my first pokémon. " _What should I call you from now on?"_ We decided I would call her Violet. Mother would be happy to see this.

We exit the cave together and are both blinded by the harsh sunlight in our eyes. Violet hides in my shadow. I see trees everywhere. It looks like we're in a giant forest. Perfect. Every step seems to take us further into the giant hedge maze.

We travel further away and deeper into the trees. The heat beats us down more each second,; before long, both of us are in need of a lunch break. We decide to stop under a cluster of greenery. Violet moves out of my shadow and into the shadows of the leaves above us. I'm about to pull berry out of my bag when I look over at Violet and notice she's already munching happily on a berry. " _Couldn't wait, huh?"_ That's when I notice it isn't one of our sitrus berries. " _Where did you get that berry?"_ Violet floats up and I lose sight of her. A moment later, a bunch of berries fall from the trees above; a few hit me as they approach the ground. There are two types of berries scattered on the grass: pecha berry and chesto berry. I remember learning about these berries at school. Pecha berries cure poison, and chesto berries cure sleep. I grab a handful of each and put them in my bag before joining Violet in a nice meal.

It's evening by the time we finish eating, so Violet floats along beside me rather than in my shadow. It's nice to walk side by side with my friend in the cool air. Soon, the sky darkens and we start looking for a place to settle for the night. We reach a group of bushes and decide to rest in their cover. I pull my extra shirt from my bag and we protect ourselves from the night chill. Sleep must have followed thereafter, because the next thing I remember is being awakened by the morning sun., warm air on my face again. I put the extra shirt away and Violet floats back into my shadow before we continue through the forest.

We move along the winding treeline and stop instantaneously as something shakes the bushes directly in front of us. Violet comes out of my shadow both protectively and curiously. We stay still for a moment and the bushes rustle once more. Then, I see a pair of eyes gleaming at me from behind the leaves. I slowly put my bag down, grab a few berries from inside, and roll them a few feet in front of us. I pause for another minute before walking away from the bushes and towards a few trees to the left. Violet follows, but remains floating cautiously. As we pass by a tree we hear the bushes rustle again. I force myself to keep walking. I don't know what's behind me now, but I hope it takes the berry as an offer of peace. After a while, Violet moves back into my shadow and we drift into our previous pace. Every now and then I hear a distant rustle behind us, but I'm sure it's just the wind picking up. Eventually, we'll end up running into other pokémon. It's only a matter of time. I hope they are peaceful.

We find a clearing of flowers, untouched, and I can't help but walk out into the shining sun. The scent is refreshing, calming, and renews the smile on my face. Violet seems happy, too. The breeze is gently blowing and any pokémon that like to frolic here are absent at the moment. It's peaceful as I walk through with Violet, who decided to float through them herself. Mother would love to see these. She always love tending to the flowers in the garden at home. I stop to take in the most beautiful scene I've ever chanced upon. I hear something in the distance.

I hear a person. I start running to the end of the field with Violet safely in my shadow once more. " _Find her! She has to be here somewhere!"_ I had to get to the trees, the bushes, the shade past the meadow. I ran faster. I was getting closer, but still a bit out of cover. " _There she is! In the flowers!"_ I was running for my life. I was almost there. The trees were so close, yet it felt they were getting further away with each footstep. Almost there. " _Grab her before she gets to the trees!"_ Suddenly, Mother's pokéball shook in my pocket. _It will protect you._ Whatever is inside knows that I'm in danger. I take its movement as encouragement and find the strength to run faster than I ever had before. I finally make my way into the trees, but I don't dare to consider catching my breath. Then, a silhouette dashes past me towards my pursuers. I turn to see that a pokémon of the forest has come to my aid. It is soon joined by a few others. I feel a tug on my shirt and discover a young pokémon is there holding a berry. It says something to me before following the others. The largest looks back at me and nods. I nod in return, then run further into the forest. Soon the sounds of battle have faded away and I know I'm safe. Mother's pokéball is still and I feel Mother is proud of me wherever she happens to be.

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **Thanks St Elmo's Fire; I wasn't quite sure about the proper capitalization and your input is appreciated. I'd like to thank those who've read my story so far. I'm hoping to have longer chapters soon and thank you for your patience. Feel free to leave a comment on my story to say what you like or dislike about it.**_


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